The present disclosure relates in general to the field of computers, and more particularly to computer systems. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) services utilized by computer systems.
A Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) can be viewed as a computer system architecture in which business processes, packaged as software services, can be created and reused by a client enterprise.
Enterprises, including commercial, non-commercial and governmental, typically have different systems for auditing, controlling and directing various Information Technology (IT) functional units. Such IT functional units include, but are not limited to, data centers (where enterprise data is stored), call centers (where telephone and e-mail calls from customers are centrally handled by an enterprise or a third party administrator), network operations centers (where the networks which interconnect people and organizations are managed), security centers (for protecting computer networks and systems from digital attacks), auditing and control operations (which manage the risk and operational health, and oversee the functions\ing of an enterprise), data operations (where enterprise data is input, processed and managed), and application development (from which software code is conceived, written, debugged and deployed). Such IT functional units often utilize different protocols, including different operating systems, different software, different versions of software, different communication formats, etc.
Because of the disparity in system types found in the client enterprise, using SOA services is difficult, since there is little or no coordination and/or consolidation of events found in an enterprise. That is, a single resource in an enterprise may be able to request a particular SOA service, but there is no current process/system for coordinating the needs of multiple resources, which may be from different client enterprises and/or may utilize different protocols. Thus there is a need in the art for a coordinating entity in the enterprise that provides an integrating systems management function.